Internationalization of Retailing in the Clothing Industry a Case Study of Dressmann
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2005:216 SHU MASTER'S THESIS Internationalization of Retailing in the Clothing Industry A Case Study of Dressmann Aidin Saradjzadeh Luleå University of Technology BSc and MSc Programmes in International Business Administration and Economics Department of Business Administration and Social Sciences Division of Industrial marketing and e-commerce 2005:216 SHU - ISSN: 1404-5508 - ISRN: LTU-SHU-EX--05/216--SE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This master’s thesis was written as a part of the program for Intentional Business and Economics at Luleå University of Technology. Although, sometimes to reach the goal has been hard and nearly impossible, the hard work that lead to the completion of this thesis has both been interesting and stimulating. This thesis would not have been finished without the support of different people that I have met while working with this thesis. First of all I would like to thank my supervisor, Associate Professor Manucher Farhang, for his guidance and help. Without your help this thesis would not have been possible. Secondly, I would like to thank my family, my mother, father and brother for their unconditional love and support. A special thanks to my respondent Mr. Hansson, head of finance at Dressmann, Sweden. Considering his busy schedule, I greatly appreciate that you took the time to answer my questions, provide me with valuable information and knowledge, and demonstrate interest in my thesis. Last but not least I would like to thank my friends´ contributions through useful ideas and support. Luleå University of Technology May 2005 Aidin Saradjzadeh ABSTRACT Competition within the clothing retail industry has increased incredibly during the past decade. Today one third of all the retailing companies around the world are active in the clothing-retailing sector. In order to succeed in fashion retailing business, planning and market research are important activities for the company to be able to choice the right target market. The aim of this thesis is to gain a better understanding of the process of internationalization of retailing in the clothing industry. To be able to learn more about this area and in order to gain wider knowledge a single case study is conducted. The case selected is that of Dressmann. Findings indicate that: (1) The main reason for a clothing retail company to enter foreign markets include a higher profit, economies of scale and offering a unique business concept for export; (2) For foreign market selection geographical proximity plays an important role. In addition access to knowledge on a specific market is also of value; (3) For the method of market entry, exporting plays an initial role but is supplemented with wholly owned subsidiary as market grows; (4) For the expansion strategy it is the factor of competitive environment that determines the firms behaviour. SAMMANFATTNING Växande konkurrens inom klädretailingindustrin har ökat ofattbart under det senaste årtiondet. Idag är en tredjedel av alla retailingföretag runtom i världen aktiva inom klädretailingindustrin. Planering och markandsundersökning är viktigt för att företaget ska lyckas välja rätt målmarknad inom mode retailingindustrin. Syftet med denna uppsats är att få en ökad förståelse för processen av internationalisering av retalingföretag inom klädindustrin. För att uppnå en mer fördjupad kunskap om detta område har en fallstudie utförts på klädretailing företaget Dressmann. Resultatet indikerar att: (1) Det främsta anledningen för klädretailing företag att introducera sig i en ny markand är högre vinst, stordriftsfördelar och en unik affärsidé för export; (2) Vid val av nya marknader spelar den geografiska närheten en stor roll. Viktig är också tillgång till kunskap om den nya markanden; (3) I metoden att etablera sig på en ny marknad spelar export en initial roll men blir ersatt av eget ägda dotterbolaget varefter marknaden växer; (4) Det är konkurrensmiljön som är den viktigaste faktorn och bestämmer företagets första drag när det gäller expansionsstrategi. Table of Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Problem Discussion: Internationalization of Retailing .................................................... 2 1.3 Purpose............................................................................................................................. 5 1.3.1 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Outline of the thesis.......................................................................................................... 5 2. Review Of Literature ........................................................................................ 6 2.1 Internationalization of the firm ........................................................................................ 6 2.1.1 Why Internationalize? ............................................................................................... 6 2.1.2 External forces affecting the increased Internationalization ..................................... 7 2.1.3 International Retailing............................................................................................... 9 2.1.4 Reasons for Internationalization of Retailing Companies....................................... 10 2.2 Choice of the International Market ................................................................................ 14 2.2.1 Step one: Preliminary Screening............................................................................. 16 2.2.2 Step two: Estimating Market Potential.................................................................... 16 2.2.3 Step three: Estimating Sales Potential..................................................................... 17 2.2.4 Step four: Identifying Segments.............................................................................. 17 2.3 International Entry Market Strategies for Retailing Companies.................................... 19 2.4 Expansion Strategies of Retailing Firms........................................................................ 22 2.4.1 Ability to Change in Retailing ................................................................................ 23 2.5 Conceptual Framework .................................................................................................. 25 3. Methodology ................................................................................................... 27 3.1 Research Purpose ........................................................................................................... 27 3.2 Research Approach ........................................................................................................ 27 3.3 Research Strategy........................................................................................................... 28 3.3.1 Case Study Design .................................................................................................. 29 3.4 Data Collection Method ................................................................................................. 30 3.4.1 Primary and Secondary Data................................................................................... 31 3.5 Sample Selection............................................................................................................ 32 3.6 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................. 32 3.7 Quality Standards: Validity and Reliability ................................................................... 32 3.7.1 Reliability................................................................................................................ 32 3.7.2 Validity.................................................................................................................... 34 4. Empirical Data................................................................................................ 35 4.1 Company Background.................................................................................................... 35 4.2 Dressmann goes International ........................................................................................ 35 4.3 Choice of the International market................................................................................. 37 4.4 Challenges of Internationalization ................................................................................. 38 4.5 Dressmanns´s Entry and Expansion in Foreign Markets ............................................... 40 5. Analysis ........................................................................................................... 42 5.1. Internationalization of Dressmann ................................................................................ 42 5.2 Choice of International Markets..................................................................................... 45 5.3 International Entry Market Strategies ............................................................................ 47 5.4 Expansion Strategies ...................................................................................................... 47 6. Conclusions & Implications........................................................................... 49 6.1 Research Question